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January 26, 2011

The following is an excerpt from a letter sent to me from an inmate currently serving in the Utah State Prison, as a sexual offender:

Dear Ms. George,

I recently read your book, Torn Apart... One statement stood out for me more than anything, when you said, "No one anywhere can tell me pornography is not a big deal or not a horribly destructive force, far-reaching in its influence. No one can tell me it doesn't destroy lives—it has forever marked mine."

I would agree whole-heartedly. I can tell you that from the offender end of things, no one knows better how true your statement is than those of us who are here! Immorality is ugly and never leads to good. It is among the most destructive things there is—I know.

I've wanted for so long to tell people don't go down that path. It can sneak up on you, even in a short time as it did me.

I was a little disappointed there wasn't more about the offender in your story, healing. That is not often something one hears about, even in the church sense regarding immorality, and definitely not from a prison perspective. People can heal and people do, but as I and others are finding out, it is indeed a long, hard road back.

...it's better not to have even started down the slippery slope. So many people offended, betrayed, angry, so many things lost. It is never, never worth the cost. And once in prison, it's 10 times harder to come back—it's better to take care of things while out there, while there's still time...one should seek help immediately with 12-step groups, therapy, friends, family, religious leaders and so on. I don't say such as a matter of request, but as a matter of pleading…